Strategies for getting people to slow their scroll.

After the internet was created, a handful of technological

advancements caused shifts in how people consume online

content. The first shift came with high-speed access that’s

always on versus the early days when people accessed the

internet with the clock always ticking. The second came

with mobile devices which gave people the internet on the

go. The third shift also stems from the explosion in more

advanced mobile devices with touch screens, which are

now also available on tablets, many laptops, and even some

desktops.

Using a finger or thumb to scroll on a touchscreen is so

much faster and easier. It presents the need for much less

clicking and much more flying through content presented

via endless scroll—like chasing the horizon. For many

people, scrolling has become almost mindless, where they

tune out much of what spins by. Clearly, this scrolling

and skimming mindset presents challenges in the modern

marketing landscape.

Thankfully, veterinary practices enjoy an inside track that

other types of businesses will never have. Dogs, cats

and other pets remain so beloved and so meme-worthy.

They provide the perfect attention-getters for online and

other forms of marketing, and veterinary practices can

legitimately use them—unlike others who toss them into

marketing purely for attention to promote the cars, baked

beans, vacuums, insurance, allergy meds, snack chips, TV

providers, or beer they are selling.

Why people skim and scroll

Eunice Kim, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing from

the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University,

explains that skimming and scrolling is a way for people to

prevent information overload.

“Scrolling and skimming can be so compelling for

people for various reasons. A good place to start is by

acknowledging that scrolling and skimming are necessary

given our cognitive limitations as human beings,” she

says. “Our brains can only handle so much information

and so much stimulation before we feel overwhelmed.

Marketing in the Age of Touchscreens, Skimmers and ScrollersArticle by Roxanne Hawn

Marketing Insight

Published: MWI Messenger – January 2020800.824.3703 mwiah.com

Kim disagrees with this comparison. She says, “I do feel

that scrolling and skimming can be pleasurable and

enjoyable, but I wouldn’t compare it to gambling.”

How to get noticed

With everyone operating on information overload, how do

any marketing efforts grab attention and get people to slow

their scroll long enough to consume what your veterinary

practice has to say?

Kim outlines two approaches to getting attention for your

marketing efforts:

1. Perception. She explains, “When people are scrolling/

skimming and are exposed to various content, marketers

can design or create messages that will naturally

cause people to notice it. An element of surprise, an

unexpected image, an unexpected sound, an unexpected

conclusion, can draw attention. Movement, such as

flashing, moving text, moving images, is always attention

grabbing. Contrast, whether it be visual in terms of color,

size, or auditory in terms of sounds and music, catches

people’s attention. Having a marketing message that is

interactive, asking people to click on an image, play a

mini game, any way of getting people to interact with

the message can also draw attention.”

2. Motivation. Kim says, “People have to be motivated

to slow down and process information carefully. People

are motivated to slow down and process carefully when

they feel that the information is personally relevant and

interesting. Marketers can play a role in reminding people

as well as creating a sense that the message is relevant.”

Kim explains that common messages people find relevant

that may slow them down include the following:

▪ Information that affects their personal well-being

(physical, emotional, psychological, financial, social)

▪ Information that affects the well-being of those for whom

we’re responsible

“So, you can see that messages for pet care products

almost have a built-in motivation for people to slow down

and process carefully because pets are of personal interest,

relevance, and we are responsible for their well-being,” she

says.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Scrolling and skimming can be a strategy for processing

‘just enough’ information in our surroundings. We call that

a satisficing strategy where we use just enough information

to make decisions that will be satisfactory. We may not be

making the absolute best decisions but, for many types of

decisions, a satisfactory decision is good enough.”

Kim adds that confirmation bias also plays a role in

skimming and scrolling. She explains, “This confirmation

bias causes us to scan for information that is consistent with

our preferences, attitudes, beliefs, goals, etc. And because

we are looking for those types of information, we are more

likely to notice and remember information that is consistent

with our preferences, attitudes, beliefs, goals, etc. and

skip over or not pay attention to all other information. So,

when we are scrolling and skimming, we are searching for

content that supports our preferences, beliefs, goals. We

will continue to scroll until we find what we’re looking for.”

This is true across all media—online, TV, radio or podcasts,

reading, and even in conversations with others.

Since veterinary practices share a love of pets with clients,

and typically have much stronger bonds than other

businesses may have with the same people, you’re probably

already within their circle of trust and like-minded thinking.

How the attention economy encourages scrolling

Online venues from shopping portals to social media

landscapes want people to keep scrolling. Social media

plays upon FOMO (fear of missing out). That’s what drives

people to keep checking their feeds. How many people

liked my post? What are my friends doing? What’s the

latest news or viral thing? Did you see what so-and-so just

posted?!

Online venues also actively trigger the brain’s novelty

reward centers. Look at that. Look at that! Look at that!

Infinite scrolling means there is no stopping point. There is

always something new just ahead.

Some in the online marketing world compare scrolling to

slot machines and other forms of gambling since many

people find it almost impossible to stop flipping through

content—sometimes to the detriment of their relationships

in real life.

Marketing Insight

Published: MWI Messenger – January 2020800.824.3703 mwiah.com

In addition, Kim says that messages that offer people ways

to reach goals also provide motivation to slow down. Think

about what goals people have for their pets that you can

address in your marketing messaging.

How to draw the eye

The amount of content and how it’s presented visually

also plays a role in whether people slow down enough

to consume your messaging. Mary Makowsky from Max

Media Solutions specializes in content design and eye-

catching templates that help focus consumer attention.

Keep it short. “Only give them the content they really

need and make it as simple as possible,” she says. “Make

it as tightly focused and as brief as possible and avoid

complex language.”

Check contrast. Use fonts that are easy to read and make

sure there is enough contrast between the text and the

background.

Make it skimmable. “Present content in bite-sized

portions,” Makowsky says.

▪ Shorter paragraphs that don’t overwhelm with too much

blah-blah

▪ White spaces to give the eye a rest

▪ Numbered or bulleted lists

▪ FAQs

▪ Pull quotes that highlight the most compelling

information, draw the eye, and encourage further reading

▪ Hierarchical headings and organization rather than just

changing font size and using bold (also important for

accessibility for people who use assistive technology)

Use visuals. Photos, illustrations, graphs, charts, memes,

videos, gifs, and other interactive tools help people connect

and consume content.

Be interactive. When it makes sense, invite interaction

with things such as calculators, sliders, and toggles to reveal

additional content in a more participatory way.

Feature real people. Use testimonials from real people

and stories of real patients to draw people into your

community of pet lovers. “If these can come from the

endorser’s personal social media post(s), that can be even

more convincing,” Makowsky explains. “Today’s consumers

are skeptical of reviews that might be fabricated.”

How to address TL/DR

The abbreviation TL/DR means “too long, didn’t read.”

If your marketing efforts online, via email, in print, or

otherwise feel daunting to clients at first glance, then a lot

of them will simply skip it entirely. They’ll keep scrolling or

delete the message without reading.

Reading Online vs. Reading in PrintThere are some indications that how people consume

content online also affects how they read on paper.

Educators, in particular, look at screen time and its possible

relationship to falling proficiencies in reading processes and

comprehension in children—both of which declined again

in the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress in

students in grades 4 and 8.

According to a November 2019 article from Education

Week, “A study of reading behavior changes found that as

students move to reading online, they tend to read faster,

browsing and skimming more and looking for key words.

They read less of a longer text and tend to reread less,

and as students spend more time reading digitally, they

become more likely to read print the same way. By contrast,

the habits associated with print reading, such as deeper

and more concentrated periods of reading, with students

annotating and highlighting as they read, did not transfer

to reading digital text as easily.”

Marketing Insight

Published: MWI Messenger – January 2020800.824.3703 mwiah.com

Consumers are increasingly impatient and desperately want

marketers to get to the point quickly. Think about any time

you fell for so-called click-bait and what you found there

did not provide what you expected to find, or at least not in

an easy-to-skim way to figure out. Frustrating, yes?

Consider your clients’ perspectives and motivations in

crafting your marketing messages, then present the

information in ways that feel more inviting, less intimidating

and more actionable. For example, use those puppy and

kitten photos on social media to get attention, but be sure

to do it with a purpose to drive business for your practice.

If a topic truly does require a heavy dose of information,

consider ways to add a TL/DR section at the beginning.

Think of it like a veterinary journal abstract. Summarize

the key points right away, including your marketing call

to action (CTA). Then provide any necessary details down

below or one click away so that those who want the

detailed information will feel satisfied too.

Roxanne Hawn is a professional writer and award-winning blogger based in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. A former writer/editor for the American Animal Hospital Association and the American Humane Association, she has written about veterinary medicine and pet topics for nearly 20 years. Her work has also

appeared in The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, Natural Home, Bankrate.com, WebMD, The Bark, Modern Dog, and many high-profile outlets. Her first book is called Heart Dog: Surviving the Loss of Your Canine Soul Mate.

"Consider your clients’ perspectives and motivations in crafting your marketing messages, then present the information in ways that feel more inviting, less intimidating and more actionable."

Marketing Insight

Published: MWI Messenger – January 2020800.824.3703 mwiah.com